The End of Innocence
by musicaddict
Summary: Pearl Harbor, with just a little heartfelt twist. It begins just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when Danny and Rafe are assigned to Doolittle... Enjoy!
1. i'll love you my whole life...

**Disclaimer:**: As much as I would love to have Danny, Rafe, and all the other unforgettable characters of Pearl Harbor, they belong to Randall Wallace, as well as the incredible plot and quotes from the movie and screenplay. I only wish I could create such a story. The only thing that's mine is the result of what happens when I add a few things I think Pearl Harbor was lacking. So pull up the Pearl Harbor Soundtrack and enjoy! 

**The End of Innocence**  


Staring absently at the unpacked duffel bag sitting on the middle of his bed, Rafe McCawley's mind drifted away…miles and miles away from the tropical paradise he felt imprisoned in. 

_Every night I look at the sunset and try to draw its last ounce of heat into my heart, and send it from my heart to yours…_

Rafe sighed deeply, and closed his eyes. 

_"Rafe, you died…" her voice trembled into the night, teardrops falling gently, one by one down her pale cheeks. "So did I." _

"No, it's okay. I'm back now," he comforted her, placing his hands on her cheeks protectively, and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "I'm back," he repeated, his own voice trembling with the tears he fought so hard to keep back, "And we're together. We are together, aren't we?" 

Evelyn just sobbed, not knowing what to say, and looked down at the bench the two sat upon. 

"Rafe!" an excited voice called out through the silence. It was Danny, running towards them with a telegram in his hand. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the two of them, his eyes darting back and forth between his love, and his best friend. 

Rafe felt an uneasiness creep into his stomach, as he slowly rose from the bench. He glanced down at Evelyn, the tears finally escaping his brown eyes, and looked back up at Danny, who was slowly approaching him. 

"Rafe…" he whispered, almost silently, his voice suddenly filled with shame. 

"Aw God, no," Rafe begged, locking eyes with Evelyn, and then with Danny, who came forward still, "Stay away!" He ordered, holding up his hand. "Stay away…" he sobbed, and turning, walked away. 

There was a soft knock at the open door, bringing Rafe swiftly back to reality. He shook his head, as if to rid his mind of thoughts of her, yet when he opened his eyes, there she was, standing at his doorstep; her long, dark hark hair whisping around her pale face in the warm Hawaiian breeze. She tried to smile. 

"Evelyn," he whispered, then quickly began to fill the empty bag in front of him with the clothing folded neatly on the bed. 

"Packing?" she asked, though it was plainly obvious what he was doing. 

Rafe's heart ached at the sound of her voice, but he never faltered. "Orders," he replied stiffly. 

"What kind of orders?" she questioned. 

"The secret kind." 

"The dangerous kind…" There was an eerie silence that followed. 

"We've been assigned to Doolittle…" 

Taking a breath she said slowly, "I can't find Danny. Did he get the orders too?" 

Rafe's face fell, and his cheeks reddened. "Is that why you're here? Looking for Danny?" He asked between gritted teeth. 

Evelyn grabbed a pair of pants from the bed and gently tucked them inside the suitcase, their hands brushing against each others' for an instant. "I wasn't looking for Danny," she said, her voice hushed. His brown eyes looked up into hers, tears stinging the corners. "I couldn't let you go away without you understanding something." 

"Yeah, well…" he muttered, blinking away the tears and closing his suitcase. "You don't have to explain anything to me." He grabbed the bag in his right hand and headed out the door. 

"But I do! You're acting like I didn't love you." 

Rafe stopped suddenly and spun around, his eyes filled with anger. "Loving you kept me alive!" He turned again and rushed out the door, throwing his duffel bag in the open trunk of the waiting taxi. 

Evelyn came up behind him, "Rafe…" 

"You know what? When I was laying in that cold water all alone, I made a deal with God. I told him I would never ask for anything else, if I could just see your face again." He paused, "I should have died out there." He looked down and the dirt-covered ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well…it was worth it. And now, I'm gonna keep my end of the deal. I'm going to walk away, and not ask you for anything else." He started to walk away from her, but stopped, tears pouring down his face. "I just wanna know one thing. Why, Evelyn? Just tell me why?" 

"Rafe…you died…" she said softly, all the color draining from her face. "…and…I love him," she said with certainty. "I love you, but I love him too, so much. And…and I'm pregnant, Rafe." 

"Oh God," was all he said, his voice slurred with sadness. 

"I wasn't sure until the day you showed up alive…" Evelyn said, her hand unconsciously raising to her stomach. "And then everything happened. Now I can't tell Danny; and neither can you. All he needs to think about is this mission, and getting back alive." 

Rafe nodded his head slowly, unable to speak. Evelyn felt the familiar burn of tears as they began to well up in her eyes. She stared at him, his face sick with reality, and his heart sick with love. She gently wrapped her arms around his strong, quivering body and placed a kiss on his tear-covered cheek. "I'll love you my whole life," she whispered into his ear. And with that parting gift, she was gone. He stood there alone, unable to move; unable to breathe; unable to live. 


	2. the only thing that scares me...

Danny Walker sat on a crate on the runway, waiting; searching. A shadow came up from behind and sat down beside him. He didn't have to look up to know who it was. "I told her not to come." 

_Why you lookin' for her then? _ Rafe wanted to reply, but the words would not find his mouth. Instead he sat there silently. And then he saw her, walking down the runway with the sun on her face. He felt his heart go numb inside his chest, as he took a deep breath. Danny followed his gaze, and hesitated. Rafe put his hand on the shoulder of the younger man beside him and gave it a squeeze. Then he stood and boarded the nearby plane, never looking back. 

Danny stood up from the crate and met her in the middle, his stomach full of butterflies. He reached her, and set his duffel bag on the ground. 

"Don't be scared…" she whispered, taking him into her arms. 

He looked down at her and ran his index finger down her smooth cheek. "The only thing that scares me…is that you might love him more than you love me." 

Evelyn looked into his deep brown eyes and smiled, taking his hand and intertwining his fingers with her own. "I love _you_, Danny," she said confidently. "And I'll be waiting for you when you get back." She leaned up and brushed her lips against his in a passionate, heartfelt kiss. 

Danny smiled, and slung his bag over his shoulder. After one last kiss from Evelyn, he whispered, "I love you." 

"I love you, too, Danny…forever…" she replied, and watched with her hand on her stomach as he entered the plane. 

-- 

The two stood at attention, unsure of what was to come. They just stared at the colonel sitting at the desk in front of them. 

"I heard what you did," he finally spoke, not looking up from the papers he was reading. 

"We can explain, Colonel," Rafe began. 

"Explain what?" 

"Whatever it is you heard about us," Danny finished. 

"You mean the Hula shirts you boys were flyin' in? Or the six planes you shot down?" He finally said looking up; there was a glimmer of pride peering out from his eyes. "You're both being awarded the Silver Star, and promoted to Captain," 

"Is that the good news, sir, or…" 

"You're just about the only pilots in the Army with actual combat experience, so you're volunteering for a mission I've been ordered to put together. Do you know what 'top secret' is?" 

"Yes sir. It's the kind of mission you get medals for…but they send 'em home to your relatives," Rafe spoke truthfully. 

Doolittle managed a small but brief chuckle. "'Top secret ' means you train for something never done before, and you go without knowing where you're going. And you do it on that basis alone." 

"I'll go, sir," Rafe replied. 

"Me too," Danny followed right away. 

"Alright. Get some sleep then," Doolittle said, then returned to his paperwork. "By the way McCawley, the Brits sent this over; it's your personal effects," he said, tossing Rafe a small box. 

"Thank you, sir," he replied, and turned to leave; Danny followed. 

"Oh, and boys? You won't need your Hula shirts for this mission." 


	3. you're my best friend...

The fire crackled on the sandy beach. Rafe glanced at the last of Evelyn's letters one final time, before setting them ever so gently into the flames. He leaned back against the bark of a dead tree, and watched the smoke drift into the darkening sky. 

"I've been lookin' all over for you," a voice spoke from behind him. He turned to see Danny standing above him. 

Rafe motioned for him to sit, and he did. "Danny…this ain't the time to leave things unsaid." 

"You got that right." 

"The fact is, we both love the same woman." 

Danny looked down at his feet. "You're not going to hit me again, are ya?" he asked, looking up with a crooked grin, remembering the night at the bar all too well. 

Rafe turned and looked at him, his facial expression not changing. "I'm alive because of her…loving her kept me alive…" 

"I know that, Rafe. But I couldn't have stopped what happened between me and Evelyn, any more than you could have quit loving her." 

"I…" he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. "You're my family, my brother, my friend. I don't wanna lose you." 

"What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying, you're a good man, Danny…" Rafe said, and began fidgeting with a small stone in the sand. "You'll be a good husband; and a good father…someday." 

Danny looked into the eyes of the man sitting beside him. Could it be? Forgiveness? 

"You've always been like a brother to me, and…and I don't want you to go on this mission." 

Danny's eyebrows furrowed together. "How can I not go on this mission?" 

"She's already lost one man to the war, don't make her lose another," Rafe replied, looking at the burning remains of Evelyn's letters in the dying fire. 

"It's my duty to go," he stated simply. 

"Don't you preach to me about duty," Rafe replied, their conversation echoing from one in the past. 

"You're not leaving me. Not this time! I'm not gonna let you," Danny burst out, his eyes narrowed. 

Rafe sighed in defeat, "Then you listen to me, Danny Boy, you come back alive, do you hear me? Don't be tryin' to pull that hero stuff. You leave that to me," he said with a grin. 

He smiled at being called "Danny Boy," something he hadn't heard since they were kids. "Always tryin' to look out for me…" 

"Damn right, kid," Rafe replied, and embraced his younger friend, ruffling his chestnut colored hair. "Land of the free…" 

"…Home of the brave!" 

--

Danny lay silently in his bunk, staring aimlessly at the bottom of the mattress above him. He looked out the small square window on the wall across the room and out at the sky, while the same scene played over and over again in his head. 

_"Bandits at two o'clock!" a youthful boy of eleven shouted. _

"Powerdive!" another a few years younger responded. 

The two boys sat, one in front of the other in a makeshift airplane shooting down fantasized enemies with imaginary bullets. Danny swiveled back and forth in his small seat, making machinegun sounds with his mouth and finally, an explosion. 

"Good shootin', Danny!" 

"Good flyin', Rafe!" 

"Land of the free…" the older boy began, turning around in his seat to look at his friend behind him. 

"…Home of the brave!" he responded with a large grin on his dirt covered face. 

The occupant of the bunk above his stirred, causing a loud creak to fill the silence of the army barracks. Danny was shook from his memory, but only for a moment. 

_A pair or arms grabbed him from behind, and shook him. "You no-count boy!" Danny looked up to be face to face with his unshaven, drunken father. "I done told you, you spend time playin' with this stupid boy who can't even read, you ain't never gonna amount to nothin'! Now come on!" he exclaimed, dragging his son by straps of his overalls. _

"He ain't stupid, Daddy," Danny pleaded, "He…" Before he could finish, his father raised his large hand and slapped him so hard, he fell to his knees. His father yanked him up again, and began to drag him across the open field. 

Filled with rage, Rafe ran to their beloved airplane, and pulled off the two-by-four that had been used as the propeller. He ran after the father and son. 

"Da…Daddy…" Danny stuttered, trying to keep up with his father's large stride. But still, his father yanked him along, until CRACK! The two-by-four came down with a thud at the base of his neck. 

"Leave him alone!" 

Startled, the old man looked around and saw Rafe McCawley standing in front of him with the board raised above his head, breathing heavily. His eyes bulged open wide as he staggered towards Rafe. 

But Rafe stopped him, "I'll bust you open, you dirty German!" 

As soon as the words were spoken the man froze, looking more hurt by them, than by the blow to his head. "I fought the Germans in the trenches," he mumbled, his words slurred together, "And I pray to God that no one will ever see the things that I saw…" He looked down at his son, shameful of what he had just done, turned, and continued his walk through the field. 

Danny put his hand on Rafe's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You're my best friend…" he told him, then turned and ran after his father. 

Rafe looked across the room at Danny, looking dreamily out the window, and a smile crawled upon his face; the childhood promise echoing in his head. _ You're my best friend._

--

The two men sat side by side in the briefing room, doing all they could to keep their heart from leaping outside their chests. 

"Gentlemen," Doolittle began, pacing up and down each row of pilots. "We'll take off late this afternoon. We'll drop fire and then we'll leave, it's as simple as that. We won't have enough fuel to get back to the carriers, so they'll head back to Hawaii as soon as we take off." 

A flyer behind Rafe and Danny raised his hand, "If the carriers leave, where do we land?" 

Doolittle stood still for a moment, and looked him straight in the eye, "I have a phrase I want all of you to memorize: _Lushu hoo megwa fugi_. It means: _I am an American_; in Chinese." 

The room grew silent, until another pilot asked, "Colonel, what do we do if our planes are damaged and we have to bail out over Japan?" 

"In that situation, I can't tell you what to do." 

"What would you do, sir?" Rafe asked. 

Doolittle looked down at the young pilot, who was like him in so many ways. He pressed his lips firmly together, then finally spoke, "I wasn't built to be a prisoner. If my plane goes down, I'm gonna have my crew bail out, and then I'm gonna dive into the sweetest military target I can find and kill as many of those Jap bastards that I can, " he paused, "But that's just me. Hell, I'm an old man. You boys are just starting out in life, so what you do is up to you…" 

Both Danny and Rafe nodded, somehow knowing that from that moment on, neither of their lives would be the same. 


	4. you taught me how to live...

Evelyn sat on her rock by the sea and gazed out at the setting sun. She would never again be able to look at another sunset the same way. They held too many memories… 

_Dear Evelyn… _

There is one place I can go to find warmth, and that is to think of you… 

Dearest Rafe… 

Every night I look at the sunset and try to draw its last ounce of heat into my heart, and send it from my heart to yours… 

She shook her head, pushing away the past and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small piece of yellow paper that she always kept by her side. Slowly, she opened it, her heart soaring with each word she read. She closed her eyes and smiled, remembering… 

_Two pairs of legs stuck out of a shiny black Buick convertible, one from each direction. Inside, Danny rested his head on Evelyn's shoulder, and she on his. The two of them giggled like young lovers, and joked about how Danny was going to get the car out of the sand. _

"I…uh…wrote something for you," he finally said, sitting up and retrieving a small yellow paper from the pocket of his Hawaiian-print shirt. "I've always had this dream that I could write something, ya know? Something worth reading," he began. "Rafe…he always said that I could, but I never did. But when I woke up this morning, I couldn't get these words out of my head. I guess they came from my heart." He cleared his throat and began to read: 

I soared above the songbirds 

And never heard them sing 

I lived my life in winter 

And then you brought the spring. 

_Evelyn's eyes filled with tears, as she sat up in the seat beside him, a wide grin spread across her fair cheeks. _

"Evelyn, I…" She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, covering his lips with her own before he could continue. He smiled, but pulled away to speak. "Evelyn, I know I'm not Rafe, but…" 

She silenced him again, this time by putting her finger to his lips. "Danny…I know that you're not Rafe. Okay? I know. Rafe was my first love, but that doesn't change the way I feel about you; you're so special to me. And I know that I'll always have a place for Rafe in my heart, just like I know that you will, too," she told him, putting her hand on his right cheek. "Rafe taught me how to love. But you, you taught me how to live." She kissed him briefly, then pulled him into an embrace. 

Danny smiled, as tears found his big, brown eyes; and he knew that everything was going to be all right. 

Evelyn opened her eyes, and took one last look at the setting sun, and she prayed. She prayed that God would safely bring home both the man that she loved, and the man who taught her how. 


	5. land of the free...

The coastline of Japan was almost invisible behind them. Rafe looked down at his fuel gage; China couldn't have been more than 100 miles away. But could they make it that far? He looked out his window at Danny, who was flying on his left. It was too dark to see his face, but just knowing that he was there, and that he was safe put Rafe at ease. But they weren't safe; they were running out of fuel. 

"Rafe…" Danny's voice crackled over the radio. "Rafe, we're on empty. We've gotta bail." 

Rafe felt a sudden panic. Not over water. Oh please, God! Not over water. "No!" he snapped back, "Not over water, Danny. Do you hear me? You can make it! Just a little bit more!" He encouraged. 

Danny stomach lurched, "Okay," he said back, glancing at the picture of Evelyn stuck in the dashboard. He ran his fingers over her smiling face. _Okay._

Suddenly he heard Rafe's voice over the static of the radio, "Coast! Twelve o'clock! China!" The boys in his plane let out a whoop. "Stay close. I'll lead us down." 

As the B-25s began their decent, Rafe looked out his window. "Damn, we got Japs! Danny! Get outta there! We got Jap patrol on the beach!" Rafe tried to stay in the air as long as he could, but he was coming in too fast. Just before the nose of his plane meet the ground, he thought he saw Danny's bomber fly over the hills, escaping. The nose collided with the earth, sending glass and metal flying in all directions. Rafe's harness held him, and he and the surviving members of his crew, climbed out of the demolished aircraft. No sooner had they escaped, then the sound of gunfire filled their ears. 

Rafe slowly stood, and looked around, only to see a half a dozen Japanese patrolmen raising their weapons and firing. He ducked back down, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a .45. "We've go to get into those hills and find the Chinese!" 

Just as he spoke, Danny's plane came roaring into view, dangerously close to the ground. With one final burst of energy, it plummeted to the land taking out the Japanese patrol. Rafe's heart caught in his throat, as he watched it happen in slow motion. He got to his feet and ran over to the crashed bomber. 

"Danny! DANNY!" he screamed, searching for his friend. He found him, propped up against the mangled plane. His eyes were closed. _Was he alive? Was he dead?_ "Danny!" he tried again. 

His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled. "I've had better landings," he mumbled, his voice soft and raspy. "There's… there's something in my neck." 

Rafe looked in horror to see a jagged piece of metal protruding from the middle of his friend's neck. "Okay. Just hold on, hold on," he coaxed, grabbing the metal and pulling. It would hardly budge, and Rafe was afraid he would inflict more pain. Grasping his pistol, he tried to pry the metal; it worked, the jagged metal free from Danny's throbbing neck. "You hang on, Danny! You're gonna make it!" he said throwing the pistol aside. 

Suddenly, Rafe's head snapped forward, hit from behind by the butt of a Japanese rifle. As he watched him slump to the ground, Danny saw four more Japonese approaching. They grabbed him, and bound his wrists to a tree branch they managed to find, tying a wire around his neck to pin him down even more. Rafe lay at their feet, drifting in and out of consciousness, unaware of the events unfolding around him. Until he heard Danny groan. His eyes snapped open, and he became completely aware of everything. He locked eyes with Danny, and for an instant, he thought he saw Danny as a boy, being pulled along the dusty fields by his father. He felt around on the ground behind him, finally finding it. Rafe gripped the .45 pistol and aimed at the men carrying Danny and pulled the trigger, firing two shots. _Leave him alone! I'll bust you open, you dirty German!_ The Jap officer turned quickly, pulling out his rifle, and took aim; the remaining soldier did the same. The officer pulled the trigger, just as Danny lunged towards him, knocking him down from behind with the branch strapped to his arms. The soldier turned to Danny, and pulled the trigger, then aimed for Rafe. An unexpected bullet appeared out of nowhere and buried itself into his Japanese heart. The officer rose to his feet, but he too was shot down by Chinese peasant soldiers, who had just arrived. 

Rafe rushed to Danny's side, removing the wire from his neck and wrists. He looked down at the gunshot wound on his chest, and closed his eyes; then opened them again, tears trickling down his cheeks. "Danny…" he whispered. 

"I'm…not…not…gonna…I'm so cold…not gonna make it," Danny choked, his words coming in short gasps. 

"Yes you are, Danny. Yes you ARE!" 

"Do me a favor," he said softly, "Let somebody else…spell my name…on the tombstone." He tried to smile, his dying body quivering uncontrollably. 

"Danny…" 

"You were…always trying…to protect…to protect me," he gasped, "I thought I…could return…the favor…" 

"Danny…Danny, please!" Rafe exclaimed, filled with panic and fear. "Please don't leave me." 

"You're my best friend," he whispered, repeating the childhood vow he had made so many years ago. 

"You can't die! You can't!" Rafe sobbed, "You're gonna be a father." Danny looked up at him, tears filling his eyes. "You're gonna be a daddy, and I wasn't supposed to tell you…" he cried, his words barely distinguishable. 

Danny lifted his head up, and Rafe cradled it in his arms. "No…" he whispered, "No… you are…" 

The words cut through him like a knife, "She loves you," Rafe told him frantically, "She loves you so much!" 

"Take care of h…" his voice faded, but his eyes stayed open. 

"Danny! Danny…Land of the free…Land of the free, Danny! Land of the free…" Rafe wept, awaiting an answer, that would never come. 

--

Evelyn just stood there, anxiously waiting as the doors to the transport plane opened. Colonel Doolittle was the first to step off, followed by a few others; she raised her hands to her mouth. Evelyn's breath caught in the back of her throat, as she saw Rafe emerge. She formed a small smile; he did not return it. Instead, he stepped forward, carrying the end of a flag-draped box. A coffin. She rushed over to him, her heart beating faster than she ever thought possible. _ It can't be true. No, it isn't true! He's still on the plane!_ When she reached him, Rafe looked down at the ground, a tear trickling down his stitched cheek. He looked up at her, his brown eyes filled more pain and sadness than she had ever seen before. With a trembling hand, Evelyn reached out and touched the jacket that belonged to her love off the top of the coffin, and she hugged it to her chest. All her body lost weight, as she toppled into Rafe's arms… and wept. 

--

On a farm in the heart of Tennessee, a small boy placed a few yellow flowers next to a small headstone. The boy stood back and stared curiously at the picture sitting beside it, turning his head to the side. 

A pair arms scooped him up, and twirled him around, setting him free in the newly cut grass. "That's your daddy," he said, pointing to the handsome man in the picture. Rafe stepped back for a moment, and watched as the spitting image of his best friend crept over to the grave again, fascinated with the man in the picture who had his same brown eyes, same chestnut hair, and same smile full of wonder. 

"Hey Danny!" Rafe called to him, "You wanna go up?" 

Little Danny Walker, Jr. nodded, and pointed to the red crop-dusting biplane that sat near the barn. 

Evelyn stood beside Danny's grave, and smiled at the site in front of her, smiled at the family she had. But she looked down at the headstone by her side, and a wave of sadness passed over her. She ran her fingers lovingly over the name etched in stone. _Daniel Walker._ When her eyes drifted further down, she could not help but smile. Engraved below was the poem he had written for her. 

_

I soared above the songbirds 

_

And never heard them sing 

I lived my life in winter 

And then you brought the spring. 

Evelyn looked up at the sky, and at the setting sun, and she knew that he was up there somewhere. Flying forever above the sky, and forever in her heart.   
  
  
  


well, i know it wasn't much of a twist; just a few extra scenes and things stressing Evelyn's relationship with Danny, making it more true love, rather than an obligation (the pregnancy) as suggested in the movie. and also, i tried to emphasize Danny and Rafe's strong friendship. i dunno...to me, it seemed like a happier sad ending. lol. please let me know what ya think!! thanks! 


End file.
